IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT 11 YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE THE DESTRUCTION OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER'S LANDMARK TWIN TOWERS.
OF COURSE IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT SOMEONE WOULD PLOT SUCH A HEINOUS ATTACK.
ON A BEAUTIFUL, SUNNY, TUESDAY MORNING 19 AL-QAEDA-AFFILIATED TERRORISTS HIGHJACKED FOUR PASSENGER PLANES...AND FLEW TWO BOEING 767 JETS INTO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER COMPLEX...ONE INTO EACH OF THE TOWERS. THEY ALSO CRASHED ONE JET INTO THE PENTAGON IN WASHINGTON, DC AND ANOTHER CRASHED INTO A FIELD IN PENNYSYLVANIA AFTER THE PASSENGERS ATTEMPTED TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE PLANE FROM THE HIGHJACKERS.
NEARLY 3,000 PEOPLE DIED IN THE ATTACKS INCLUDING THE 19 TERRORISTS.
NEARLY 3,000 PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE...AMERICANS, CANADIANS AND MANY OTHER NATIONALATIES.
3,000 PEOPLE WHOSE FAMILIES WILL NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN...JUST DEVASTATING.
I COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT THIS TERRIBLE TRAGEDY...BUT THE POINT I WANT TO MAKE IS THIS: LIFE IS SHORT...LIFE IS PRECIOUS.
THE PEOPLE WHO BOARDED THOSE PLANES THAT DAY, THE PEOPLE IN THE WTC THAT DAY AND THE PEOPLE WHO RESPONDED TO THE ATTACKS (POLICE, FIREMEN, PARAMEDICS, RESCUE WORKERS) HAD NO IDEA WHEN THEY WOKE UP THAT MORNING AND SAID GOODBYE TO THEIR FAMILIES THAT IT WOULD BE FOR THE LAST TIME.
TAKE A MOMENT TO REFLECT...PRAY FOR THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES AND THOSE WHO LOST LOVED ONES. TAKE A MOMENT TO EXPRESS YOUR GRATITUDE TO GOD THAT YOU ARE STILL ALIVE.
DON'T PUT OFF TELLING THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE THAT YOU LOVE THEM.
PICK UP THE PHONE, KNOCK ON THEIR DOOR...IF YOU LOVE 'EM, TELL 'EM.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS AMERICA.
RIP ROBIN GIBB (December 22nd 1949 - May 20th 2012)
MY FIRST ALBUM "THANK GOD FOR GIRLS" WAS BEGINNING AND I WAS DOING A COVER OF "I STARTED A JOKE" BY THE BEE GEES...MY PRODUCER WAS ANDREW LOOG OLDHAM, THE ROLLING STONES' PRODUCER, AND THE DAY I WALKED INTO THE STUDIO TO RECORD IT I RECIEVED A TELEGRAM THAT SAID, "DEAR BENNY, GOOD LUCK WITH OUR JOKE, YOUR VERSION SIGNED MAURICE, ROBIN AND BARRY GIBB...STILL HAVE IT..THEY WERE ONE OF THE GREATS...MASTERS AT HARMONY AND BRILLIANT COMPOSERS...TOTAL CLASS...BENNY
BARBARA ORBISON PASSED AWAY YESTERDAY AT USC MEDICAL CENTER IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA...23 YEARS TO THE DAY THAT HER BELOVED HUSBAND, ROY, PASSED AWAY. SHE WAGED A COURAGEOUS BATTLE WITH PANCREATIC CANCER.
I'M AT A LOSS FOR WORDS...WHEN JANE WOKE ME UP THIS MORNING AND TOLD ME I WAS STUNNED AND SADDENED BEYOND WORDS...SHE'S WITH ROY NOW AND WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED AS THE ROCK THAT KEPT ROY STEADY AND FLOURISHING BEFORE HIS UNTIMELY DEATH AND KEPT HIS MUSIC ALIVE.
LOVE, BENNY
_CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNER OF THE TWO ORCHESTRA TABLE SEATS FOR BENNY MARDONES: SONGS AND STORIES! THE WINNER IS...DARLENE BEEMAN! HER STORY TOUCHED MY HEART AND WE'LL POST IT LATER. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR SENDING IN YOUR WONDERFUL STORIES...SOME MADE ME LAUGH, SOME MADE ME SHED A TEAR OR TWO...BUT THEY ALL MADE ME SMILE! ENJOY THE SHOW DARLENE!
LOVE, BENNY
HEY EVERYONE...JUST A SHORT NOTE TO LET YOU ALL KNOW THAT UP AND COMING SUPERSTAR, COREY COX, HAS RELEASED A VERSION OF MY SONG "WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT" FEATURING CRYSTAL HOYT.
THE SONG WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN BY JIM ERVIN AND ME FOR MY CD "LET'S HEAR IT FOR LOVE".
ORDER THE SONG NOW VIA
http://www.coreycoxmusic.com
...YOU'LL LOVE WHAT COREY HAS DONE WITH IT.
PLEASE SUPPORT THIS SONG AND COREY COX.
LOVE, BENNY
_DEAR FRIENDS;
AS MENTIONED IN MY EARLIER MESSAGE ABOUT THE UPCOMING SHOW SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3RD AT THE PALACE THEATER IN SYRACUSE, NY...THE CHRISTMAS SHOW IS "OUR" SHOW.
WITH THAT IN MIND, I WOULD LOVE FOR FANS TO BE A PART OF THIS YEAR'S SHOW BY SENDING IN PHOTOS THAT MAY BE SHOWN ON THE BIG SCREEN BEHIND ME. WE WILL SHOW THESE DURING TWO DIFFERENT SONGS.
THE FIRST TYPE OF PHOTOS WE WOULD LIKE ARE A TRIBUTE TO FATHERS. AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, MY FATHER PASSED AWAY EARLIER THIS YEAR. PLEASE SEND IN PHOTOS OF YOUR FATHERS. THEY CAN BE PHOTOS OF YOU AND YOUR FATHER, JUST YOUR FATHER OR EVEN YOUR GRANDFATHER. BOTH THOSE LIVING AND THOSE NO LONGER WITH US ARE WELCOME.
THIS YEAR'S SHOW IS VERY MUCH THE STORY OF MY LIFE AND, OF COURSE, MY LIFE INVOLVES ALL OF YOU. THE SECOND TYPE OF PHOTOS WOULD BE ANY PHOTOS YOU HAVE OF US TOGETHER. PLEASE ALSO SEND ANY OTHER GREAT "BENNY RELATED" PHOTOS, ESPECIALLY LIVE ONES, YOU MAY HAVE.
** IMPORTANT NOTE: BY SENDING IN THESE PHOTOS YOU AGREE TO ALLOW US TO USE THEM IN THE SHOW AS WELL AS ANY POSSIBLE PRODUCTION THAT COULD COME ABOUT FROM THE SHOW, INCLUDING - BUT NOT LIMITED TO - A DVD, A POSSIBLE TELEVISION BROADCAST OR ANY OTHER USE.
ALL FANS ARE WELCOME TO SEND IN PHOTOS BUT PREFERENCE WILL GO TO THOSE WHO WILL BE ATTENDING THE SHOW ON DECEMBER 3RD.
IF YOU BOUGHT TICKETS, PLEASE LET US KNOW THAT IN YOUR E-MAIL SO WE CAN GIVE YOURS PREFERENCE. PLEASE INCLUDE THE E-MAIL ADDRESS YOU USED TO PURCHASE TICKETS SO WE CAN VERIFY.
WE HAVE LOTS OF OTHER SPECIAL TREATS WE ARE WORKING ON FOR THE SHOW.
IT'S ON IN LESS THAN THREE WEEKS...HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
PLEASE E-MAIL YOUR PHOTOS TO:
bennypix@gmail.com
...AND PLEASE SEND THEM IN A GOOD FORMAT - 300 DPR Jpegs IF POSSIBLE.
LOVE, BENNY
TO ALL MY FRIENDS;
I'M WRITING YOU THIS LETTER BECAUSE I FEEL YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON WITH ME AND THE CHRISTMAS SHOW THAT I HOLD SO DEAR TO MY HEART...
I LOOK FORWARD TO THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS SHOW LIKE I USED TO LOOK FORWARD TO GOING TO MY GRANDPARENTS HOME TO WAIT FOR SANTA CLAUS WHEN I WAS A LITTLE BOY WITH MY SISTER LOUISE... IT WAS MORE THAN SANTA CLAUS AND SNOW...IT WAS A TEMPORARY ESCAPE FROM THE VIOLENCE AND ANGER THAT EXISTED IN MY HOME FROM A STEP FATHER WHO WAS OUT OF CONTROL...AND COMING TO SYRACUSE FOR THE ANNUAL SHOW IS THAT SAME FEELING OF JOY THAT I FELT BACK THEN...
RECENTLY MY HEALTH HAS TAKEN A TOLL ON ME AND I FEEL THE CLOCK TICKING WITH REGARD TO MY PERFORMING LIVE AND FRANKLY IT SCARES THE HELL OUTTA ME...YOU KNOW ME...YOU KNOW I'LL SING TIL THEY PULL THE MIKE FROM MY HAND...
THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF RUMORS ABOUT THIS PALACE SHOW AND THE EAT AND GREET...FOR REASONS I DON'T UNDERSTAND PEOPLE ARE SAYING THINGS THAT AREN'T TRUE AND TRYING TO TAINT THE EVENT... THIS SHOW IS BEING PRODUCED BY ME AND PEOPLE I ASKED TO HELP... I NO LONGER WANT TO HOPE THINGS GO WELL, I WANT TO KNOW THEY WILL, FOR YOU AND ME.
IT HURTS ME TO THINK THAT MY FANS WOULD PUT UP WITH THIS KIND OF TREATMENT BECAUSE THIS IS'NT 'MY' CHRISTMAS SHOW...THIS IS 'OUR' CHRISTMAS SHOW..
I'M ASKING YOU TO TURN OUT IN NUMBERS TO BOTH AN EVENING TOGETHER FOR DINNER AND LAUGHTER...AND TO A SHOW UNLIKE I'VE EVER DONE....THE STORIES BEHIND THE SONGS (AND STORIES YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD, TRUST ME).....JOIN ME, WON'T YOU, FOR A NIGHT WE'LL NEVER FORGET..CLOSE TO HOME AT THE PALACE THEATER.
LOVE,
BENNY MARDONES
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